Barack Obama

Obama, in Pa., Rips McCain on Economy

By Perry Bacon Jr.
ABINGTON, Pa. -- Barack Obama highlighted a new report showing the economy shed more than 159,000 jobs last month, linking the bad economic news to Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's policies and ideology.

"Senator Palin said to Joe Biden, or Governor Palin said to Joe Biden, that our plan to get our economy out of the ditch was somehow a job-killing plan, that's what she said," Obama told a crowd of thousands on the football field at a high school in this Philadelphia suburb. "I wonder if she turned on the news this morning. ... When Senator McCain and his running mate talk about job killing, that's something they know a thing or two about, because the policies they've supported and are supporting are killing jobs in America every single day."

Obama praised his running mate for his performance in last night's debate, asking, "Didn't he do a great job?" and calling him a "Scranton boy, done good." Biden was born in Scranton, Pa., before moving to Delaware when he was 10.

And Obama again called on the House to approve a bill to aid ailing firms on Wall Street, imploring Democrats and Republicans who voted against the bill: "Don't make the same mistake twice." (Enough of them complied that the bill passed the House this afternoon.)

But the Democratic nominee didn't spend much time talking about the debate or the Wall Street rescue package, instead attacking McCain's ideas on education, the economy and health care and laying out his own proposals on those issues.

"He's now going around saying, 'I'm going to crack down on Wall Street.' ... But the truth is, he's been saying, 'I'm all for deregulation,' for 26 years," Obama said of McCain.

He added, "He hasn't been getting tough on CEOs. He hasn't been getting tough on Wall Street. ... Suddenly a crisis comes and the polls change and suddenly he's out there talking like Jesse Jackson."

With Palin and McCain attacking Obama for his proposals to raise taxes on people who make more than $250,000, the Democratic nominee continued to defend himself. He called for a return to the economic policies of the last Democratic president, saying "We need to do what a guy named Bill Clinton did in the 1990s, put people first again." Then he compared his plans to those of a person less popular with Democrats.

"Under my plan, tax rates will actually be less than they were under Ronald Reagan," Obama said.

Taxes on many people who make more than $250,000 would be less under Obama than Reagan, but McCain argues those tax increases would still be detrimental to the economy.

With a crowd of more than 6,000 here, it was the sixth straight day Obama spoke at a large rally, many of which have been outdoors.

At times during both the Democratic primary and the general election, Obama has intentionally held smaller campaign events to focus on complicated issues, like preventing countries from obtaining or producing nuclear weapons. Many Democrats have long criticized his campaign for not sufficiently emphasizing his policy proposals.

But aides said that with voting registration deadlines coming up in states like Michigan, where Obama told an audience yesterday they had to register to vote by Monday, the campaign wanted the candidate to speak to as large a number of people as possible. His campaign is also aggressively pushing voters to cast their ballots early in some key states.

While not using the word "hope" as much, Obama is continuing to pitch an idealistic message, trying to cast the financial crisis as an opportunity for the kind of coming together of Democrats and Republicans he has spoken of for months.

"This country and the dream it represents are being tested in a way that we haven't seen in nearly a century. And future generations will judge ours by how we respond to this test," Obama said in Grand Rapids yesterday. "Will they say that this was a time when America lost its way and lost its nerve and lost its purpose? When we allowed our own petty differences and broken politics to plunge this country into a dark and painful recession? Or will they say that this was another one of those moments when America overcame, when we battled back from adversity?"

The Democratic nominee has looked confident and relaxed in recent days, as polls have shown him leading in several key states amid the financial crisis. On his campaign plane Wednesday night, he handed out chocolate cookies to reporters that an aide's wife had baked for him, then chatted about his plans for this 16th wedding anniversary, which is today.

In an interview with the Detroit Free Press yesterday, Obama, defending his choice of Biden for vice president, emphasized the how the Delaware senator could help him in office.

"What keeps me up at night is not losing this election. What keeps me up at night is winning the election," Obama said. "The next president is going to have two wars; the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression; an economy that -- even before the financial crisis -- was badly weakened; a continuation of terrorist threats; a resurgent Russia, North Korea and Iran looking to obtain nuclear weapons; an education system that has fallen behind, and, in some places, like Detroit, is at some level dysfunctional; a health-care system that is exploding in costs but not in effectiveness and a set of entitlements that could bankrupt the federal government fairly rapidly. So I want somebody who I actually think is going to help me figure all of this stuff out."

When he was asked his about his lack of experience compared with McCain, Obama quipped, "I've been running against all this experience for 21 months, and I haven't been voted off the island."

But Obama and his allies are still aware that a campaign of many twists and turns could shift quickly toward McCain again. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who attended the event here, said Obama still needed to improve his standing among Keystone State voters who are over 65 years old. McCain is expected to campaign heavily here, as Pennsylvania may be the largest state that Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) won in 2004 that the GOP nominee could carry, following his decision yesterday to pull resources from Michigan.

"We have to assume, as the attention shifts away from this economic stabilization package, that his numbers might go down," Casey said of Obama's campaign.

Comments

[The time is now!
For Americans of all political parties to come together to preserve the future of the country we love and have always been proud of, by voting for a True American Patriot and War Hero who risked his life for our country:
John McCain for President of the United States of America.

Country First!]

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sure he is. He crashed all his planes and when they found out who his Daddy was while captured they treated him like a king. They even wanted to let him go home early but he said no because it would've ruined him. They painted Kerry yellow and he put his life on the line in battle, while McCain never fought a day in the whole War and turns out to be a Hero. Why don't you ask McCain about his War records that are sealed in Washington. Even our troops gave more to Obama's campaign by a margin of 6 to 1. Here's the reason why.

John "Maverick" McCain. The guy that puts country first by voting against health care for our troops, and their needs

August 2001: McCain voted against increasing the amount available for medical care for veterans by $650,000,000.

April 2003: McCain urged other Senate members to table a vote (which never passed) to provide more than $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment in Iraq related to a shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, and tactical vests.

October 2003: McCain voted to table an amendment by Senator Dodd that called for an additional $322,000,000 for safety equipment for United States forces in Iraq and to reduce the amount provided for reconstruction in Iraq by $322,000,000.

March 2004: McCain once again voted for abusive tax loopholes over veterans when he voted against creating a reserve fund to allow for an increase in Veterans' medical care by $1.8 billion by eliminating abusive tax loopholes. Jeez, McCain really loves those tax loopholes for corporations, since he voted for them over our veterans' needs

March 2006: McCain voted against increasing Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in FY 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes

April 2006: McCain was one of only 13 Senators to vote against $430,000,000 for the Department of Veteran Affairs for Medical Services for outpatient care and treatment for veterans.

May 2006: McCain voted against an amendment that would provide $20 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for health care facilities

September 2007: McCain voted against the Webb amendment calling for adequate troop rest between deployments. At the time, nearly 65% of people polled in a CNN poll indicted that "things are going either moderately badly or very badly in Iraq.

So there it is. John McCain is yet another republican former military veteran who likes to talk a big game when it comes to having the support of the military. Yet, time and time again, he has gone out of his way to vote against the needs of those who are serving in our military. If he can't even see his way to actually doing what the troops want, or what the veterans need, and he doesn't have the support of veterans, then how can he be a credible commander in chief?

Posted by: HemiHead66 | October 3, 2008 8:54 PM

{The time is now!
To remind Americans that Barack Hussein Obama is just another politician that will do or say whatever it takes to fulfill his political ambitions. Barack is calculated and methodical about hiding his true convictions and intentions, and uses deception to get elected.}

SAYING HIS WHOLE NAME MEANS WHAT? HIDING WHAT HE HAS WORKED HIS WHOLE LIFE NOT GETTING RICH OFF OF HIS BIG TIME DEGREE BUT HELPING THE POOR AND DOING THE WORK THAT POLITICIANS DON'T DO.

[The time is now!
For Americans to remember Barack Hussein Obama’s intimate 20 year relationship with the Priest of Hate, Jeremiah Wright, who blessed Barack and Michelle marriage and baptized both their daughters. AND, to remember the hideous videos of Jeremiah Wright’s congregation which included the Obamas, damning America with bombastic joy, after the Muslim’s criminal attack on America on 9/11.]

OBAMA WAS NOT IN THAT CONGREGATION BUT LET US REMEMBER THAT MCCAIN HAS A PREACHER PROBLEM IN REV. JOHN HAGEE WHO TALKS SO BAD ABOUT JEWS AND CATHOLICS THAT IT MAKES REV WRIGHT SOUND LIKE A CHOIR BOY. IF YOU HAD HEARD THE WHOLE PEACH OF MCCAINS BUDDY AND OBAMAS PREACHER YOU WOULD SEE ONE TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT AND THE OTHER AS A VILE HATEFUL MAN.

[The time is now!
For Americans to remember how Barack's Priest of Hate, Jeremiah Wright used his tax-exempt church to exercise a radical political agenda, and how he refers to Israel, as well as America, as a "racist" State. Barack's religious leader, Jeremiah Wright believes that the true 'Chosen People' are the blacks; and that black values are superior to middle-class American values. Indeed Barack's Priest of Hate, Jeremiah Wright is a black supremacist.]

SUPREMACIST HAVE POWER TO ENSLAVE PEOPLE, PLEASE DO NOT COMPARE A PREACHER OF A SMALL CHURCH TO THE RACIST ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE KILLED THOUSANDS OF BLACKS THIS CENTURY.

[The time is now!
To remind Americans that Barack Hussein Obama wants to be president to implement Jeremiah Wright’s dream of a black supremacist society in America.]

PRESIDENTS DON'T IMPLEMENT ANYTHING YOU IDIOT ONLY THE CONGRESS DOES, THE PRESIDENT JUST SIGNS THE LAWS. SO BY THE WAY WHAT POLICY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. I NEVER SAW ANY POLICY JUST A SOUND BITE ABOUT HOW YOU THE BIBLE SAYS WHEN YOU DO PEOPLE WRONG IT COMES BACK ON YOU. DO I AGREE WITH REV WRIGHT. HECK NO, BUT I UNDERSTAND HOW A MAN COULD FEEL THAT COULD NOT ATTEND SCHOOL WITH WHITES IN HIS YOUTH, WHO COULD NOT EAT AT THE COUNTER OR DRINK FROM THE SAME FOUNTAIN. HE IS BITTER AND IT GOT TO HIM. BUT POLICY, SIR YOU ARE CRAZY.

[The time is now!
For Americans of all political parties to come together to preserve the future of the country we love and have always been proud of, by voting for a True American Patriot and War Hero who risked his life for our country:
John McCain for President of the United States of America.

Country First!]

YES JOHN MCCAIN IS A PATRIOT AND A WAR HERO. THOSE QUALITIES DON'T MAKE YOU PRESIDENT OR I COULD BE ONE. TRUTH IS THE WAR HE VOTED FOR HAS CREATED A TERRORIST HAVEN IN A COUNTRY WITHOUT. IT HAS THE DANGER OF CREATING AN IRANIAN SUPERSTATE WITH 80 BILLION IN OIL SURPLUS. TRUTH IS A WAR HERO SHOULD KNOW BETTER THEN SUPPORTING TORTURE AND ASSUMING THAT A COUNTRY WOULD WELCOME YOU, DID HE NOT FIGHT IN VIETNAM? TRUTH IS HE VOTED FOR DEREGULATION WHICH CAUSED THIS CRISIS, HE VOTED FOR TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH WHICH WERE SUPPOSED TO TRICKLE DOWN, WHICH WHEN THEY DIDN'T THEY DECIDED TO HAND YOU $600. TRUTH IS HIS RUNNING MATE KNOWS SO LITTLE ABOUT BUDGET SHE LEFT A TOWN THAT HAD NO DEPT 22 MILLION IN DEPT WHEN SHE LEFT. SHE HAS A ARMY OF PEOPLE TEACHING HER HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS AND NOW SHE IS A HEARTBEAT AWAY FROM THE FRONT OFFICE.

SAVE AMERICA NOW OBAMA/BIDEN 08, STOP THE SELL OUT OF JOBS TO ASIA AND THE DISMANTLEMENT OF THE US MILITARY NOW.

BY THE WAY YOUR RACE BAITING WILL NOT WORK HERE.

Posted by: mrtankuk | October 3, 2008 7:45 PM

THE MORONS LEFT TOWN BEFORE PASSING THE PART OF THE BILLS THAT TOOK CARE OF MIDDLE CLASS AMERICA.....WHAT DID WE GET FOR OUR 700B?

1. We had 700B of our hard earned tax dollars taken from our pockets and given to Wall St

2. They added Pork on the Bill wasting more of our tax dollars

3. GUESS WHAT!!!!! They left town before passing the part of the bill that will help middle class America...can you believe it. They left town and forgot us after all that B.S. talk about this bill taking care of middle class America. Gee...I wonder if they will come back to work to take care of Main St -- yea right!

4. The work ethic of congress stinks. They act like they work hard when they have to put in extra hours for a few weeks that most middle class Americans do 365 days a week just to survive. These lazy bums don't work hard...they don't know what hard work is.

5. At this stage, I don't care who voted yes or no for this bill. They are all bums and should be thrown in jail for violating our trust.... I'm still in shock...they left town without passing the part of the bailout bill that took care of Middle Class needs, yet, they allowed the Pork and was sure to take care of Wall St before leaving town. Business as usual for the bums in Congress...take care of special interest groups, lobbyists and the wealthy. What the terrorists can't accomplish in America, Congress will.

How the hell can any American trust these morons to take care of Main St....NO MORE!

Don't let these morons be re-elected America.

Posted by: steveeyes | October 3, 2008 7:36 PM

The time is now!

Wake up America! Take a good hard look at what Obama is about and then his opponent.

It is FRIGHTENING that McCain wants to:

Throw your retirement money at the financial bozos on Wall Street!

Take away your employer sponsored health insurance and make you pay for it!

Continue tax benefits designed to outsource YOUR jobs!

It's true! And McCain doesn't just say one thing and mean another, he says one thing on Monday and then a totally different thing on Tuesday! He flip-flops more than a flounder caught in a barrel!

So yeah, America, the time is now!

Vote Obama 08!

Posted by: ethanquern | October 3, 2008 7:20 PM

The time is now!
To remind Americans that Barack Hussein Obama is just another politician that will do or say whatever it takes to fulfill his political ambitions. Barack is calculated and methodical about hiding his true convictions and intentions, and uses deception to get elected.

The time is now!
For Americans to remember Barack Hussein Obama’s intimate 20 year relationship with the Priest of Hate, Jeremiah Wright, who blessed Barack and Michelle marriage and baptized both their daughters. AND, to remember the hideous videos of Jeremiah Wright’s congregation which included the Obamas, damning America with bombastic joy, after the Muslim’s criminal attack on America on 9/11.

The time is now!
For Americans to remember how Barack's Priest of Hate, Jeremiah Wright used his tax-exempt church to exercise a radical political agenda, and how he refers to Israel, as well as America, as a "racist" State. Barack's religious leader, Jeremiah Wright believes that the true 'Chosen People' are the blacks; and that black values are superior to middle-class American values. Indeed Barack's Priest of Hate, Jeremiah Wright is a black supremacist.

The time is now!
To remind Americans that Barack Hussein Obama wants to be president to implement Jeremiah Wright’s dream of a black supremacist society in America.

The time is now!
For Americans of all political parties to come together to preserve the future of the country we love and have always been proud of, by voting for a True American Patriot and War Hero who risked his life for our country:
John McCain for President of the United States of America.

Country First!
Americans for John McCain/Sarah Palin

Posted by: Manolete | October 3, 2008 6:18 PM

Democrat Senators Barney Frank and Chris Dodd,
STEP DOWN NOW!

You just cost American taxpayers BILLIONS from your total lack of oversight.
STEP DOWN NOW!

Posted by: Texan2007 | October 3, 2008 4:31 PM

PENNSYLVANIA,
Tell him NO again!
He does not care about you or any Americans. He only cares about being the first black President!
To heck with experience! To heck with equality! To heck with anything and everything that could stand in his way!
Tell him NO again on November 4th!

Posted by: Texan2007 | October 3, 2008 4:29 PM

Now that the "tribute" has been paid, will Congress hold hearings to find out how this REALLY happened?

Was this "crisis" engineered? Was it an outgrowth of purposeful acts and under-the-radar policies?

How can Congress think it's come up with a solution when it's never inquired as to the real CAUSE?

Could it be that lenders were ORDERED by government agencies to offer EASY CREDIT to "targeted" citizens?

Could this "extra-judicial targeting" be a root cause of the mortgage meltdown which led to the wider crisis?

Do not find Republicans blogging very much. It is hard to say anything good about McCain.

They're saving their onslaught for their smear campaign which will be late coming by next week.

Posted by: Gator-ron | October 3, 2008 3:45 PM

McCain doesn't understand what a tanking economy is because it doesn't affect him.

McCain in April 08 declared that there had been "great progress economically" during the Bush years. On more than one occasion, he diagnosed Americans' concerns over the dismal U.S. economy as "psychological." (Phil Gramm, McCain's close friend and economic adviser supposedly excommunicated over his "Americans are whiners" remarks, is back with the McCain campaign). McCain, a man who owns eight homes nationwide, in March lectured Americans facing foreclosure that they ought to be "doing what is necessary -- working a second job, skipping a vacation, and managing their budgets -- to make their payments on time." And when all else fails, McCain told the people of the economically devastated regions in Martin County, Kentucky and Youngstown, Ohio, there's always eBay.

In his defense, McCain's shocking tone-deafness may just be a matter of perspective. When you're as well off as he is, anything below a $5 million income (a figure exceeding that earned on average by the top 0.1% of Americans) seems middle class.

*The $100 Million Man*
Courtesy of his wife Cindy's beer distribution fortune (one her late father apparently chose not to share with her half-sister Kathleen), the McCains are worth well over $100 million. (In the two-page tax summary she eventually released to the public, Cindy McCain reported another $6 million in 2006.) As Salon reported back in 2000, the second Mrs. McCain's millions were essential in launching her husband's political career. Unsurprisingly, the Weekly Standard's Matthew Continetti, who four years ago called Theresa Heinz-Kerry a "sugar mommy," has been silent on the topic of Cindy McCain.

*The Joys of (Eight) Home Ownership*
While fellow adulterer John Edwards was pilloried for his mansion, John McCain's eight homes around the country have received little notice or criticism. His properties include a 10 acre lake-side Sedona estate, euphemistically called a "cabin" by the McCain campaign, and a home featured in Architectural Digest. The one featuring "remote control window coverings" was recently put up for sale. Still, their formidable resources did not prevent the McCains from failing to pay taxes on a tony La Jolla, California condo used by Cindy's aged aunt.

*The Anheuser-Busch Windfall*
As it turns out, the beauty of globalization is in the eye of the beholder. While John McCain apparently played a critical role in facilitating DHL's takeover of Airborne (and with it, the looming loss of 8,000 jobs in Wilmington, Ohio), Cindy McCain is set to earn a staggering multi-million dollar pay-day from the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by the Belgian beverage giant, In Bev. As the Wall Street Journal reported in July, Mrs. McCain runs the third largest Anheuser-Busch distributorship in the nation, and owns between $2.5 and $5 million in the company's stock. Amazingly, while Missouri's politicians of both parties lined up to try to block the sale, John McCain held a fundraiser in the Show Me State even as the In Bev deal was being finalized.

*McCain's $370,000 Personal Tax Break*
Earlier this year, the Center for American Progress analyzed John McCain's tax proposals. The conclusion? McCain's plan is radically more regressive than even that of President Bush, delivering 58% of its benefits to the wealthiest 1% of American taxpayers. McCain's born-again support for the Bush tax cuts has one additional bonus for Mr. Straight Talk: the McCains would save an estimated $373,000 a year.

*Paying Off $225,000 Credit Card Debt - Priceless*
That massive windfall from his own tax plan will come in handy for John McCain. As was reported in June, the McCains were carrying over $225,000 in credit card debt. The American Express card - don't leave your homes without it.

*Charity Begins at Home*
As Harpers documented earlier this year, the McCains are true believers in the old saying that charity begins at home:
.
Between 2001 and 2006, McCain contributed roughly $950,000 to [their] foundation. That accounted for all of its listed income other than for $100 that came from an anonymous donor. During that same period, the McCain foundation made contributions of roughly $1.6 million. More than $500,000 went to his kids' private schools, most of which was donated when his children were attending those institutions. So McCain apparently received major tax deductions for supporting elite schools attended by his children.
.
Ironically, the McCain campaign last week blasted Barack Obama for having attended a private school in Hawaii on scholarship. That attack came just weeks after John McCain held an event at his old prep school, Episcopal High, an institution where fees now top $38,000 a year.

*Private Jet Setters*
As the New York Times detailed back in April, John McCain enjoyed the use of his wife's private jet for his campaign, courtesy of election law loopholes he helped craft. Despite the controversy, McCain continued to use Cindy's corporate jet. For her part, Cindy McCain says that even with skyrocketing fuel costs, "in Arizona the only way to get around the state is by small private plane."

*Help on the Homefront*
In these tough economic times, the McCains are able to stretch their household budget. As the AP reported in April, "McCain reported paying $136,572 in wages to household employees in 2007. Aides say the McCains pay for a caretaker for a cabin in Sedona, Ariz., child care for their teenage daughter, and a personal assistant for Cindy McCain."

*Well-Heeled in $520 Shoes*
If clothes make the man, then John McCain has it made. As Huffington Post noted in July, "He has worn a pair of $520 black leather Ferragamo shoes on every recent campaign stop - from a news conference with the Dalai Lama to a supermarket visit in Bethlehem, PA." It is altogether fitting that McCain wore the golden loafers during a golf outing with President George H.W. Bush in which he rode around in cart displaying the sign, "Property of Bush #41. Hands Off."
.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxT0s_I5WtA
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